What's it like to act with Meryl Streep? Nerve wracking—duh—says Juliette Lewis. The August: Osage County actress seems tough as nails, but even she got stage fright around the acting titan, albeit just for a few seconds. We spoke with the lead singer of Juliette and the Licks about playing Julia Roberts' little sister, her upcoming projects with Aaron Paul and Melissa Leo, and her true love: music.

How did you get involved with 'August: Osage County?'

Everybody and their mother was auditioning for this. When I read the script, I was at a certain place in my life. My dad had had a heart attack, and I didn't know if he was going to make it or not, and my two sisters and I came together in a way that I'd never experienced before. We all sort of came together, and it brought out different sides of us in times of crisis. Six months later, I get this script. I could not believe the dynamic, that there were three sisters in a time of crisis...

What was it like working with Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, and the rest of the cast?

It's weird, because I've worked with some incredible people [like] Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, [Robert] De Niro, Johnny Depp. But when you have a cast of that many great people...I was very nervous. And that's not like me.

Claire Folger/ The Weinstein Company

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Photo: Claire Folger/ The Weinstein Company

You were nervous?

People think I'm pretty confident, and I am, in some ways. But I was really nervous, because your mind, especially your artistic criticism, is, like, "Don't fuck this up." I'm not watching the movie, because I just will never please myself. With this material, with this cast, you can't just be "okay." But I used all my nervous energy, because the foundation of my character Karen is insecurity, nervousness.

Anyone who's seen or read the play, or even the film trailer, knows there's a major family dinner scene with a lot of explosions. What was it like shooting it?

It was tough, I'm not going to lie. And then, it was literally like watching Meryl Streep acting live in the greatest theater performance ever, and she was two feet from me. It's transcendental, if I can use such a word. [Laughs] It transcends space and time! It's magic.

You also shot a movie called 'Hellion' with Aaron Paul. What is he like?

Great. I just love him. He is such a beautiful person. He has a lust for life, he is in love with his wife, and he's a fucking mind-blowing actor. I hope it does really nice things for Aaron. It's a really touching story, and it'll be different for him than Breaking Bad.

Claire Folger/ The Weinstein Company

Photo: Claire Folger/ The Weinstein Company

You also have a TV series out next year called 'Wayward Pines.'

I'm having a little bit of a run that I'm quite proud of! Wayward Pines stars Melissa Leo, one of my heroes, who has become a friend. The part is really juicy and intense. It's a twisted thriller that M. Night Shyamalan has set the tone for, because he directs the pilot. We'll never say what happens!

With all this acting, have you had time for your music career?

Music is like my greatest lover. If I don't do it, I actually feel half complete as a soul [laughs].

So how are you working music into your schedule?

Just recently I started working with this band called Cage the Elephant. There's only a handful of good rock & roll today, and they're one of them. Arctic Monkeys is another, Jack White is another, but they're all in this similar genre. So I've been going back and forth to Nashville. Between putting my pretty dresses on and talking about August, I'm going to a little studio in Nashville, and I'll have a little EP out by this spring. And I'm just aching to get on the road, really.

When will you have time?

I don't know how I'm going to manage it with still making movies, because I'm quite serious about having another chapter in my career, but all I know is I need to be in a sweaty, dive-y, loud rock club, giving everything to an audience.